Lots more in store for 2015 .. I spent my break re-branding and re-jigging the business to make
it work better for both me AND those that hire me.

Cleaned out the garage ( kinda ) and sold stuff leftover from the reno or never used etc ..
still more to go. Played with paint colours ( our house is a minty-white which we hate,
but you know, we like to get it right .. )

Did some SHOPPING. ALONE. OMG! I tell people I hate shopping ( really, I dont - but shopping centres slay me - too many people, too many shops ), but I dumped the kids
for the first time AND had no work ( really? A day? Just for me? ) and hit my two fave
dreamy shopping destinations .. Bunnings ( ok, so any nursery will do really, i'm a sucker
for plants ), and then a homewares store ( in this case, Freedom, on the way home, where
they were having a sale, and OMG, the euphoria!! )

I love getting in there and deciding which plant to love, googling the scientific name
and hmming and haaaing over will I/wont I ? Then I stared at a woven throw rug in Freedom
for mm, 12 minutes? Just staring, feeling, thinking. Wandered off to look as some baskets
and chairs and wandered back to stare and think some more.. perused ALL.THE.THINGS!

And went home happy. That day alone simply made my holidays!

Now the kids are back in school and there's work to do .. returning calls ..
meeting deadlines .. so not ready .. *sigh*

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Apartment Therapy is not about having the best things or the most money.
It’s about
real people with real lives. It’s about people that craft a home
with what they have
and curate and comfort their nest with a mixture of old and new, of
things bought,
of things found or things made with their own hands.

Items that reflect their travels and interests and people that
follow their heart.

Monday, October 06, 2014

I grabbed these pics from my Instagram account, which I updated daily while I was away - it was fun.. I really do love travelling in the cyber age .. people give you real-time feedback and tips, and you can look things up as you go if you get stuck ( such as the time I wanted a bowl of olives but the lady had no idea what I was talking about. I google-translated automatically on the spot and got the Spanish translation: "de oliva". Yeah, I know .. lost in translation .. ha ha! )

To view them chronologically, you have to start at the bottom image and work from the bottom right corner, reading left and moving upwards. Or, if you view them "the regular way", you can start at our day of between-flights rest in Dubai .. and work backwards.

Today is reality - washing, shopping for food, picking up the cats, and back to the packed lunch whining.. ah well .. all good things must come to an end, and Home is good too. I know we are all looking forward to kitty snuggles tonight :)

Thursday, September 04, 2014

However, in the last few years its been different.. we've been dealing with anxiety
in one form or another of 6 years now .. I shouldn't be surprised, i'm quite an anxious
person myself, and my firstborn is pure me, except for the fact the husband declares him
"pure him".

Maybe I married my brother? I dunno, we are quite twinsies, I kinda like it :)

So the hurdles. We're not perfect ( newsflash! ), and it's quite painful seeing bad genes
in your kids. In my lowest moments I may have wailed, unattractively, with snot running
freely ( note: genetically not an attractive crier ) that I should not have procreated.

Like why would I put a kid through my shitty genepool?

But then, I think we turned out ok. On the surface anyway.
I certainly know the more people I meet at this age ( where people tend to let the cray hang out a bit more ) the more nutters I meet.

So I like my nutty, they can keep theirs.

Today the boy's Dad left us at 4am ( to go away for work ).

My ultra-light anxious-about-sleep-this-year 10yr old, of course woke up, and
followed him around the house sobbing until he left. Distressing, tiring, upsetting for all.
I eventually got him back to sleep with me, and when the sun rose, I let them sleep.

We took a day off school and made the trip to the DFO we'd been planning anyway.

The 10yr old has recently grown out of children's sizes and has no clothes.
He's a tricky size .. a man-child .. too big for boys here .. too small for mens there ..
with a youth's market kinda hit&miss.

So we had a fun-ish day celebrating man-dom and Mama got some new shoes which
I shared on Instagram .. a site I haven't embraced, but keep getting told I need to be on..
i'm trying !

So anyway, when we got halfway 'round .. the boys were hungry - i'd promised a sweet lunch
( translation: chips and sorse ( sauce ) ) and we went on a peruse of the mini-food-court.

Counter #1 was intense, he was going to make a burger just fresh to my liking!
( I didn't want a burger! ) and he had chips .. they looked kinda old and yukky though,
so I cheerfully said we'd be back! and encouraged the boys to look around.

He.freaking.watched.us.the.whole.time as we stopped by the sushi counter, and perused
his direct opposition ( also with vile-looking chips ) and then I asked the boys what they wanted.

Master 6 wanted a tuna handroll from the sushi place WITH a bowl of chips from
the first place - done.

Master 10 wanted a slice of Quiche Lorraine, with some chips, also from the first place,
also done.

So we went back and he was all over us. I only wanted a Diet Coke ( yes, judge me, fine )
but he talked up his Spanakopita soooooo much I felt obliged to order. After all, it's tough for small operators out there and I do like to support one who stands behind and sells/believes in his/her product .. so ok, yes, I will.. you've talked me into it.

I ordered the DC, the spanakopita, a bowl of chips and a quiche with a side of chips ( they'd both got a drink at the sushi bar when we bought the tuna roll )

Then I stood back while we waited for the two pastries to be heated and another lady came by.He took my money and pushed a crappy Quiche on a plate my way unadorned ( not even a limp salad ). Oh! I said, that is supposed to be with a side of chips?

Oh, I did not charge you, one moment, another dollar. ( he acted all puffy while he served the only other person there like he was flat-stick ) Yes, yes, that's fine.,

So he serves the other woman and makes up another bowl of chips - $3.50 please. Um, no, I just wanted a small side, on the same plate? No, we do not do that.Ok, well, that's too many chips.*tips chips back in bain marie and shrugs*

Mr Cafe Owner? Seriously? I felt for you, and although i'm hardly a regular, I tried to support you, and you were a dick.Once you had my money, you changed. It was like Madonna/Whore syndrome, except it was lovely patron/dirtyshopper syndrome. I do not wish you well.

Lady at the shoestore however ( who looked like the twin of the equally ace chick at Quicksilver ) .. you can sell me shoes anytime.